The prognosis on former Duke basketball star Zion Williamson is not good for this season.
If you were hoping to see former Duke basketball star Zion Williamson play this season for the New Orleans Pelicans, you might be waiting a lot longer.
Williamson, who suffered a broken foot in the summer, has still yet to take the court and will be out for an indefinite of time after his latest setback in his recovery process, Shams Charania and Will Guillory from The Athletic report.
The Pelicans are “shutting down” the former No. 1 overall pick since his right foot continues to be sore.
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New Orleans’ director of basketball operations, David Griffin, said during the Pelicans media day prior to the beginning of the season that he did not believe Williamson would miss any time in the regular season due to the injury.
Zion Williamson has only played in a total of 85 games in his NBA career, and there is no timetable for when he will make his debut in his third season.
The former Blue Devil was an All-Star last season and named to the All-Rookie Team two years ago as he is averaging 25.7 points, 7.0 rebounds, and 3.2 assists per game since making the jump from Duke to the pros.
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Zion Williamson is listed at 6-foot-6 and 284 pounds on the official NBA website, but photos have surfaced of the injured star on the Pelicans bench looking overweight.
Zion Williamson. pic.twitter.com/CcpLv7DEC6
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However, more photos surfaced of Williamson last week looking slim and ready to take the floor despite his injured foot.
With Zion Williamson on the sidelines, the New Orleans Pelicans have turned into an irrelevant franchise as the team is currently in last place in the Western Conference with very little hope of turning things around until the All-Star returns.
Perhaps there will be no Zion for the 2021-22 season, but he can make a full, healthy return for the start of the 2022-23 campaign.